Action-packed day marks Earth Day at King’s Hawford

As has become the tradition at King’s Hawford, pupils embraced Earth Day with an action-packed programme of events and activities. The campus came alive with a buzz of activity, despite the inclement weather.

The theme of Earth Day this year was Planet v Plastics, a perfect fit given that one of the King’s Hawford Eco-Committee’s current themes is the effects of plastic on our natural water sources.  Aiming to make a difference, the pupils engaged in a “Day of Action” specifically geared towards making that difference.

Pupils arrived at school on Monday morning and the first stop was the outdoor classroom, where they delivered an extraordinary array of plants and flowers, donations for the King’s Hawford Living Wall. Located next to the school carpark, the Living Wall later came to life with the help of some extremely green-fingered Year Five pupils.

An assembly was then held in The Barn, where the whole school came together to hear from The Canals and River Trust. The pupils impressed with their behaviour, listening intently as our visitors spoke about water sustainability and how we can keep our canals clean. The children were then introduced to a waste-sorting game, which certainly captured their imaginations.

Before the children could leave The Barn, Robyn, Chair of the Eco-Committee, declared a Climate Emergency on behalf of King’s Hawford, which encouraged the audience to take action.

Once back in their classrooms, the children took part in a range of activities. Reception got their hands (and feet) dirty in the name of creativity and produced a beautiful piece of artwork. Meanwhile, in Year One and Year Two, the children cleared up different areas of the School with the use of their trusty tongs, and Year Three boarded the Katakanus in order to collect rubbish along the canal. Year Four followed suit and did a litter pick along the tow path; the children were all very enthusiastic, despite the pouring rain.

Year Five felt compelled to write to Nigel Huddlestone, MP for Mid-Worcestershire, about the issues facing our local environment; Mr Huddlestone has already visited the children at King’s Hawford. The pupils wrote about issues such as flooding, fly-tipping, waterways pollution, local nature recovery plans and use of plastics in local schools and businesses. Finally, Year Six ensured that the School’s biodiversity beds, flower beds, garden area, and pathways were all clean and tidy.

At the end of the day, it was safe to say that all the children had embraced the ideals of Earth Day and had a lot of fun and laughter in the process.